To circumcise or not??

I've just recently found out that I'm having a boy. It's not what I wanted or expected, but now I am warming to the idea and getting excited to bond with my little boy.

But now I have an issue that I never anticipated, choosing whether or not to circumcise my son. I am from New Zealand where only 10% of boys are circumcised, but have lived in the US for 9 years where it is very common. Here in Virginia it was 74% in 2009- (found online)

The thought of doing it to my child just seems barbaric and cruel and un-necessary. It seems like the main reason people say to do it, (including my husband) is so that boys don't get teased for being different in the locker room since most kids are circumcised.

So curious to hear if you ladies are planning on circumcising your sons, or if you already have boys did you decide to do it or not? No judgement, just interested to hear people's feedback and opinions.

Although health benefits are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns, the benefits of circumcision are sufficient to justify access to this procedure for families choosing it and to warrant third-party payment for circumcision of male newborns.

Parents ultimately should decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their male child. They will need to weigh medical information in the context of their own religious, ethical, and cultural beliefs and practices.

I edited some out so that BBC doesn't delete it over copyright(eyeroll). Basically the AAP still does not recommend routine newborn circumcision. They're being wishy washy because if they came out and actually recommended circumcision, they would face backlash from medical organizations around the world. But they still want insurances to cover the procedure, and a lot of insurances STOPPED covering it because of the previous AAP statement of not recommending it. So they went halfway, and said that the medical benefits could outweigh the risks, and thus insurance should still cover it.

We are still on the fence about this so I will definitely be researching some of the links providedas well but I wanted to share my comment with you. My husband is uncircumcised and the only problem he has ever had is irritation/cracking at the foreskin caused by spermicide products. It took a while to figure out the root cause and hubby was definitely uncomfortable then, despite good hygiene etc. For some reason those products really mess his skin up and would result in a week of pain if exposed. My younger brother was also uncircumcised and opted to circumcise at 16, I think due to locker room pressure (he was a football player so this was more of an impact than it might be for most kids).
When asking my husband how he feels now, he has said he would consider circumcising our child. While this is all anticdotal, my point is that circumcision is not merely cosmetic and there are very valid arguments on both sides. As far as pleasure goes, my understanding is that it is the opposite from what pp's have said- circumcising takes away some feeling that you would have otherwise. The foreskin moves and is part of the action, so is a sensation missing for circumcised men.

We will not circumcise (don't know if this is a boy or girl). DH isn't, none of his or my family are and no one has had problems. My two little nephews aren't either and they're ok. I think it's a personal choice. however, it amazes me how many woman are adamant about not piercing their daughters ears because "it's their body their choice" but are ok with cutting off a piece of their sons vital organs. I will teach my sons proper hygiene and practice good hygiene while he is an infant.